A lot of points in a football game doesn’t necessarily equate to a well-played game.
In fact, as was the case Friday night when Red Bank visited Brainerd, it can be quite the opposite.
Red Bank punished Brainerd 47-30 in a sloppy game by the Panthers. They had six turnovers in the first 14 minutes of their District 6-AA contest.
“If you would have told me that we’d have six turnovers in the first half, I would have bet my house [against] it,” Brainerd coach Stanley Jackson said. “But I would have lost everything.”
The loss essentially knocks the Panthers out of the playoff hunt and soured the notes of Brainerd’s energetic band on senior night.
But the Lions remain alive.
“We have to keep trying and maybe we’ll be blessed with a wild card,” Red Bank coach Tim Daniels said. “I thought our defense played well early on, and it was fun to see our kids compete. We did a better job of having good practices and bringing it to the game.”
In an unimpressive contest, 6-foot-3 Red Bank senior Kelvin Clay had a remarkable game. He scored on a 23-yard pass from Niquia McDuffie and on an 84-yard kickoff return. He also had an interception.
“He might have had his breakout game,” Daniels said of Clay, who had 58 of Red Bank’s 165 receiving yards. “I thought both of our quarterbacks [McDuffie and Hagen Wilkey] did a nice job of leading our offense.”
They had an easy job early on.
The Panthers went three-and-out on their first two possessions – hardly a harbinger of the events to unfold.
Brainerd had turnovers on five of its next six snaps from scrimmage. In order, they were a fumble, an interception by defensive end Kionte Davis, a fumble on a pitch, another fumble that Deres Benn returned 20 yards for a touchdown and another fumble.
Brainerd’s sixth turnover of the first half – Clay’s interception – led to his touchdown catch.
Later in the half, Clay casually picked up a kickoff at his feet, split up the middle and raced for his second score.
Brainerd’s William Hughes connected with Joseph Derrick on two touchdown passes in the second quarter to limit Red Bank’s halftime lead to 40-12.
McDuffie connected with Kameno Watson for a 21-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter. Then Brainerd scored the final three touchdowns of the game.
“They had us down 30-something to six,” Jackson said. “With the turnovers, we couldn’t generate anything on offense.
“But the kids didn’t show any quit.”